The Biological Sciences Division performs systems biology research and develops technologies focused on how cells, cell communities, and organisms sense and respond to their environment. Our investigator-initiated and collaborative research, unique scientific instrumentation, and national program leadership translate the latest scientific discoveries into technologies that are beneficial to the nation.
PNNL Postdoc Wins DOD Breast Cancer Fellowship Award
Congratulations to Dr. Hongjun Jin, a biochemistry postdoctoral fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who recently won a U.S. Department of Defense postdoctoral fellowship for breast cancer research. In this 3-year, $250K project, he will determine post-translationally modified biomarkers for the early detection of breast cancer. The research will further strengthen PNNL's protein microarray platform.
» More
Bacteria Are Better Gene Packers Than We Thought
The Problem: In microbial genomes, genes are typically depicted as linear series of separate regulatory and coding regions. This leads to the assumption that annotations done by computer to predict such arrangements completely describe the coding capacity of bacterial genomes.
» More
Dani López-Ferrer Wins Tech Transfer Award
Congratulations to Dr. Daniel López-Ferrer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, winner of a 2010 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. The award is for developing a high-pressure enzymatic digestion system and assisting in its transfer and commercialization through a license to a provider of instruments used in biological research.
» More
Richard Smith Selected for Analytical Chemistry Award
Congratulations to Dr. Richard D. Smith at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being chosen for the 2010 Eastern Analytical Symposium, Inc., award for "Excellence in the Fields of Analytical Chemistry." Smith was selected for developing and applying high-resolution separations and mass spectrometry methods and instruments to the analysis of complex biological samples.
» More
Scientists Show How Bacteria Move Electrons Across a Membrane
Scientists at the University of East Anglia, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Pennsylvania State University have demonstrated for the first time the mechanism by which some bacteria can transfer electrons across a membrane to the cell exterior, allowing them to "breathe" metals. These iron-respiring bacteria link the cycling of iron and carbon in subsurface and surface sediments and can catalyze the immobilization of subsurface contaminants such as uranium.
» More
First Book on FAIMS Published by PNNL Scientist
Though it may never reach the New York Times' bestseller list, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist's book on an analytical technology for complex mixtures is making an impact on spectrometry research.
» More
